Best New Chefs 2012: Their Simplest Recipes

They spent their early years washing dishes, chopping cases of parsley or working on disastrous charcuterie experiments to try to impress Mario Batali. Now our 2012 Best New Chefs are in charge of outstanding kitchens across America. How do we find these talented men and women? F&W editors solicit nominations from hundreds of experts around the country. Then we travel to eat at the source, on the lookout for cooks who are serving creative and sensational food and who have been in charge of a professional kitchen for a maximum of five years.

Why He Won: Because, on a remote island off the Washington state coast, Wetzel gets the majority of the ingredients for his extraordinary menu from two fishing boats, his own garden and the beaches around the island.

Why He Won: Because his daring menu epitomizes the Bay Area’s young, innovative spirit. “People think Benu is a modern Asian restaurant, but we’re a modern American restaurant,” says Lee. “For every Asian ingredient on my menu, there are 50 American ones.”

Why She Won: Because she obsesses over every ingredient on her menus, from the house-made ricotta in the sage fritters at her flagship, Lincoln, to the olive oil and chocolate topping for the soft-serve honey ice cream at Sunshine Tavern.

Why They Won: Because at their wonderful counter restaurant, the duo combine the playfulness of avant-garde cooking with classic technique: They flavor yogurt with smoked sweet hay to serve with oven-roasted pigeon.